Picker motion for looms



July L. C. MUSCATELLI 2248,892

PICKER MOTION FOR LOOMS Filed April 17, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet l attorney s Shets-Sheet 2 Filed April 17, 1940 r. m. 7 w m U m r. g 1 .w Up w M a 6 n w 2% w w M. A n 1 y fl w u h Z a WW -Iw a 1 w a J 9 4 y 1941- L. c. MUSCATELL! 2.248,892

. PICKER MOTION FOR LOOMS Filed' April 17, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Enventor B Zazzzls 6'.

- Gtto negS.

Patented July 8, 1941 v D STTES Parr GFIC The present invention relates to improvements Y in picker motions for looms and more'particularly refers to a motion for stepping-up the action of the picker shaft to increase the sweep or are of movement of the picker stick and picker on;

shuttle changes in automatic looms to compensate for the space interval between the shuttle and the picker incident to the transfer of shuttles.

Heretofore in automatic looms; on the magazine side, whenever an empty shuttle is replaced by a new full shuttle it is found that such new shuttle does not in practice take up the identical position vacated by the old shuttle with respect to the picker. In practice shuttles in their movement into the boxes encounter the pickers in an advanced position and move such pickers to the initial or operative position, and in so doing the leading end of the shuttle which encounters the pickercomes to rest in contact with such picker and this substantial condition is necessary for good loom operation.

' In' such contacting position the full force of the picker and the full sweep of the picker and its stick are felt in the shuttle'to the end that the shuttle is thrown across the race to the 013-; posite box with only such a minimum of force and length of picker travel as will accomplish the essential loom functions of causing the shuttle to arrive in the opposite box in timed relation to the other functions of the loom tothe 'end that; 0

the loom will not be automatically stopped. In other words according to best loom practice what is known as a soft pick is desirable. By soft pick is meant a minimum of force applied by the picker andits' stick to the shuttle sufficient merely; 5

to carry the shuttle through the shed and to th opposite box so that it will arrive in such box in ample time to forestall the stopping or hanging Oil of the loom.

While this ideal condition is practicable at the eo the picker to compensate for the interval of dis-;

. occurring immediately after shuttle change, the construction of automatic looms has been such;

that this increased sweep of the picker and picker stick occurs throughout the entire operation of the loom.

In other words the picker nose is set permanently up closer to its operating cam or the picking motion adjusted otherwise on the magazine side of theautomatic' loom and consequently the picker and the picker stifck'at that side of the loom are required to undergo this increased sweep or length of travel. We therefore have at one side of an automatic loom a soft picking action,

which is the desirable action and the only action that is necessary except on that one pick incident to shuttle change at the magazine side; nevertheless at such magazine side we have on every pick an undesirable undue length of picker stroke which has become known in the industry as excessive pick.

' The excessive pick on the magazine side results inthe following disadvantages: the breaking of picking cams, picking balls, picking shafts, pick arms, lug connectors picker sticks, pickers, excessive wear on shuttles, imperfections in cloth, loom stoppage, increased filling waste due to bobbins bursting, indirect effect of shuttles flying out of looms due to excessive pick, etc.

The objects and purposes of the invention are to eliminate these disadvantages and to enable the use at thema'gazine side of the same soft pick as used at the box side, exceptonly on that pick occurring at shuttle change, such shuttle the excessive pick.

. For convenience in illustration and explanation only one embodimentof the invention is disclosed herein in connection with Crompton-Knowles automatic loom. s 7

With the foregoing and other objects in view the invention will be hereinafter more fully described and particularly pointed out in the subjoiued claims..,. U

.In the drawings in which like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views, a

Figure 1 is a rear elevation, with parts broken away and parts shown in section, of an automatic magazine loom equipped with an attachment constructed in accordance with the present invention. 7

Figure 2 is a horizontal section taken on an enlarged scale on the line 2 -2 in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary side viewtaken from the left side in Figure 2.,

Figure 4 is a similar view taken from the-right Y side in Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a perspective View of the picker nose.

Figured is a fragmentary side view taken from the right side of the m as shown in Figure 1.

Figure '7 is a vertical section taken on the line 11 in Figure 6.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary top plan view similar to Figure 2 showing the slide and collar in the engaged position.

Figure 9 is a fragmentary top plan view with parts shown in section showing a modification, and

Figure 10 is another fragmentary side view with parts broken away showing a further modifi- 10 cation.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, l0 designates the frame of a Crompton-Knowles or other conventional type automatic loom. J ournaled in this frame is the customary bottom shaft I which carries the cam l2 for rocking the picker shaft l3.

The picker shaft is customarily square in cross section and carries the picking arm M which operates the picker stick l5 and the picker in a well known manner.

The cam l2 operates in conjunction with a picker nose |6 carried by the picker shaft l3 and ordinarily adjustable axially along the picker shaft l3 toward and from the center line of the bottom shaft and operating cam I2. The adjustment is secured by the use of set screws H.

In this way by adjusting the picker nose l6 further away from such center line the angular rocking of the picker shaft I3 may be reduced 10, causing a"soft pick at the box side of the loom. At the magazine side of the loom it is the practice to adjust the picker nose l6 closer to the picking cam 2 to secure the excessive pick heretofore referred to. E 5

The standard automatic loom alsoinvolves a box motion arm l8 at the magazine side of the loom moved incident to the changing of the shuttle. The standard loom also contains the bearings IQ for the picker shaft I3, the picker eio" shaft having round trunnions 20 which freely turn in the bearings l9.

In accordance with the invention one or both ends of the enlarged square portion of the picker shaft l3 are reduced or out-away to admit 2. collar 2| and one end of a slide 22 and to admit of such end play of the trunnions 20 in bearings l9 as to enable the picker shaft 3 and the picker nose l6 carried thereby to be moved axially as a unit for the purpose of advancing the picker '5o' nose l6 closer to its operating cam I2 at that period desirable for making the excessive pick, namely at shuttle change. A coil spring 23 is arranged to automatically shift the picker shaft |3 in one direction, namely in that direction to 5 carry the picker nOse |6 away from its operating cam l2. Such coil spring is shown as connected between a spring anchor arm 24 which is bolted or otherwise secured to an appropriate part of the framework of the loom and a set collar 25 1 which is made fast on the square portion of the picker shaft I3.

The collar 2| is removably fitted over one trunnion 20 and moved up against the adjacent end of the picker shaft |3 where it is secured as by a 65 set screw 26. Such collar carries a beveled or tapered face 21 positioned to mate with a similar beveled or tapered face 28 on the slide 22. The slide 22 comprises thick and thin portions at opposite sides of its beveled face 28. When the 70 thin portion is opposite the collar 2| coil spring 23 moves the assembly to a position where picker nose I6 is remote from its operating cam I2 resulting in a "soft pick. When slide 22 is advanced with its bevel face 28 riding over the simi- 75 lar face of its complemental collar 2| the thick portion of slide 22 is introduced between collar 2| and the adjacent end of the bearing l9 causing a shift endwise of the picker shaft assembly resulting in the movement of picker nose l6 closer to its operating cam |2, resulting in an excessive pick.

The slide is formed with a slot 29 elongated in a horizontal direction and received over the trunnion 20 whereby the trunnion 20 becomes a support and a guide for this end of the slide 22. The slide has at its other end a bar 3|! slidable through a slot 3| in a slide hanger 32, which hanger has an elongated slot 33 to adjustably receive a bolt 34 carried by a lug 35 of a supporting bracket 36. The bracket is affixed to an appropriate part of the framework of the loom. The slot 33 affords a vertical and a limited swinging adjustment of the hanger 32 to cause it to take up a proper position with respect to the bar 30 of the slide which is movably supported thereby.

The slide 22 carries an upstanding slide boss 31 perforated to receive slidingly therethrough a pull rod 38 which is connected to operating parts cooperating with the box motion arm l8 for shifting the slide 22 to cause its thicker portion to wedge against the collar 2|.

The slide 22 also has an opening or other connection 39 to receive a release or pull-back rod 4|! connected to a train of mechanism for operating upon the'slide to restore it to its initial normal position where the thin part thereof is against collar 2| and the picker shaft assembly is in the soft picking position.

The pull rod 38 extends slidably through the boss 31 and carries a set collar 4| positioned to encounter the boss in the forward movement of the pull rod 38.

The pull rodis pivoted in the lower arm 42 of a bell crank fulcrumed at 43 in a bracket 44 carried by the framework of the loom. The upper arm 45 of the bell crank is formed with a socket 46 in position to receive the free ball end of a finger 48, which finger is carried by a shaft 49 extending out beyond the magazine side of the loom and mounted in bearings 56 carried by a bracket 5| bolted or otherwise secured to the framework of the loom. lAl'so secured upon the shaft 49 is an arm 52 extending toward the front of the loom and connected by a link 53 with the end of the box motion arm I8 whereby lowering and raising of the box motion arm l8 will cause the shaft 49 to rotate back and forth in accompaniment. Set collars 54 on shaft 49 prevent the shaft from accidental endwise-shift.

The release rod 40 for the slide extends across the loom and beyond the opposite side thereof where its lower end is adjustably connected in a slot 55 of the lower arm 56 of a bell crank lever fulcrumed at 51 in bracket 58; said bracket being affixed to an adjacent part of the loom frame. The perforated upper arm 59 of the bell crank is connected to an operating rod 66, such rod fitting in a selected perforation of the upper arm 59 for purpose of adjusting the throw of movement of the device. The upper end of rod 60 is slidably received through an aperture 6| in a lever 62. The lever 62 is fulcrumed at 63 on bracket 64 adjustably bolted or otherwise secured to an appropriate part of the loom frame.

The free end of the lever 62 rests upon a cam 65 fixed upon the bottom shaft II. I

In operation the normal position of the slide 22 is in the retired position where the thin portion thereof lies between the collar 2| and the adjacent end of bearing Hi. In this position coil spring 23 has shifted the picker shaft assembly to the soft picking position. The loom will continue to run in this position until it'is desired to change a shuttle. loom must be set in such a manner as to deliver excessive pick to compensate for the loss of picking that occurs when the new shuttle replenishes the empty. .As the new shuttle receives its inward motion box motion'arm l8 receives a downward motion taking with, it arm 52 'ment in the train of parts back to the pull'rod 38,

the pull rod sliding through the eye of the slide boss 31 without affecting the slide 22 which must be left in this shifted position until the excessive pick has taken place. The raising of the finger 48 in socket 45 will lift the upper arm 45 of the bell crank lever by engagement of the finger with a cotter pin '5 or other suitable connecting member. 1

When the slide 22 was moved into the excessive pick position it pulled upon rod 4i] thus rocking the bell crank 55, 59 and drawing down rod 60 until set collar 65 carried by the rod Bil engaged the upper side of the cam lever 62. The cam 65 rotating around with bottom shaft II is timed to lift lever 62 immediately after the excessive pick has been delivered. The lifting of this cam lever 62 will through the set'collar 66 operate to shift bell crank 56, 59 in an opposite direction, thus exerting a pull upon the release rod 4!! with sufficient throw to restore the slide 22 to the soft pick position where the thin part thereof is presented to the collar 21, thus enabling the coil spring 23 to restore the picker shift assembly to the soft pick position. In this position the loom is allowed to run until another shuttle change occurs.

When the release rod 49 moves the slide 22 back to its inoperative or soft pick position it shifts slide boss 3'! into engagement with the collar on the push rod 38 so that these parts are engaged for subsequent actuation.

The set collar 63 in the normal position stands in spaced relation above the cam lever 62 so that the lifting of the cam lever 62 by the cam 55 will have no effect on the rod 80 during the normal running of the loom. The set collar 66 is only drawn down when the slide 22 is engaged.

Figure 2 shows the disengaged position of the slide 22 and Figure 8 shows the engaged position thereof. The disengaged position is when the thin portion of the slide is between collar 2! and bearing is. The engaged position or advance position of the slide occurs when the thick portion of the slide-wedge is entered between collar 2| and the adjacent bearing I9.

In Figure 9 there is shown a modification in which the picker nose it has its set screws removed so that it is directly slidable in an axial direction relatively along the square portion of the picker shaft l3. In this instance the collar 2| is dispensed with and the bevel shoulder 23 of slide 22 is received again-st a comple- At this point the.

1 mental-bevel shoulder 2'! formed directly-upon the-picker no'se 60 so that shifting ofislide'22 to the engaged position will cause the picker nose l6 to be shifted along picker shaft [3 into a closer. position with respect to its actuating cam.

Inithis instanceit is not necessary to cut down the square portion of the picker shaft to admit th'collar and the slotted end of the slide about the rounded trunnion of the picker shaft but all that'is'necessary is to out a slightly wider slot 29 in the slide 22 to allow for the square portion of the picker shaft l3 to turn therein. This will of course tend to oscillate slide 22 slightly in a vertical: plane but the loose fit of the slide'bar 3i] ties of movement.

hits hanger 32 will allow for any such inequali- A coil spring 23.3 keeps the picker nose l6 up. against the slide and in a remote or soft picking position with respect to its actuating cam. The coil spring 23 reacts against set collar 25.

In' carrying out the invention it is only necessary that the picker nose I6, which is referred to broadly in the claims as the control member because its position with respect to. the actuating cam regulates the amount of pick, receive the automatic movement toward its actuating cam [2. In. other words it is not necessary that the-picker shaft itself be moved. However it is convenientto utilize the picker shaft It as a carrier for the picker nose I6 and to move the entire shaft assembly in an endwise or. axial direction because in so doing the picker nose may still have the benefit'of its set screw adjustment along th picker shaft. It therefore may be set in any picking position desired when the picker shaft or some other carrier member on which the picker nose is utilized.

can be longitudinally adjusted The operating cam l2 and the picker nose form a couple'in-the picking motion of an automatic magazineloom. It will be understood however that the invention is not limited to the. Crompton-Knowles in which, for convenience of illustration, the invention has been described, but the invention is applicable to any automatic maga'zine' loom having any type of picker motion'in which-there is an actuating member, such as earn"! 2, and a control member, such as picker nose IE or Ili which by its adjustment toward thedegree of the pick. With regard to Figure 10 the advantages of and from its cam or actuated member controls securing manual adjustment of the picker nose Ni along the square portion of the picker shaft l3 are secured without requiring any modification in construction of the picker shaft and Withi but} requiring that the picker shaft be moved axially or endwise, by employing a sleeve 68 slid'ably mou'nted upon the square portion of the picker shaft I3 asthe endwise moving car- -'rier for the pioker nose Ni on which the picker nose maybe manually adjusted as by its set screw li to any position relatively to the actuating cam I2. In this instance the slide'22 is shown as operating against the end of the sleeve 68 although such slide may operate against the end of the picker nose as shown in Figure 9. -A spring 23 may be employed to bias the sleeve 63 to a position in which the picker nose lfi is in its most remote position from the actuating cam l2. This is the position of soft pick to which the operator has adjusted the picker nose I6 The slide moves the sleeve 68 and picker nose over to the stepped up or excessive pick position.

tion on shuttle-change in an automatic maga zine loom, an actuating couple in the picker motion of the loom comprising a movable control member and its actuating member, an automatic mechanism for the movable control member so constructed and arranged that it is actuated to move the control member with respect to its I actuating member by a change of shuttles to vary the picking action during such change of shuttles. l

2. In an automatic magazine loom, the combination of an actuating member for the picker motion, a control member movable relatively to the actuating member, and means operated by the replenishing mechanism of the loom to cause the said control member to approach more closely to the actuating member during shuttle-change in the magazine, the whole operating for the purpose of securing normally on the magazine side of the loom a soft pick and an excessive pick on shuttle-change.

3. In an automatic magazine loom, an actuating member for the pickermotion, a control member cooperatively mounted relatively to said actuating member, a movable carrier for said control member biased to a position where the control member is in soft picking relation to the actuating member, and operating means for the carrier adapted to cause the said carrier to move the control member closer to the actuating member to vary the picking action.

4. In an automatic magazine loom, an axially; slidable picker shaft, a picker nose adjustably and fixedly mounted on said shaft, an actuating member in operative relation to said picker nose,

wedge means for sliding said shaft to cause the nose to approach the center line of the actuating member, means for withdrawing said wedge means to initial disengaged position, and means for shifting said shaft and nose away from the center line of the actuating member.

5. In an automatic magazine loom, an axially;

shiftable picker shaft, a picker nose adjustably and fixedly mounted on said shaft, an actuating member cooperatively positioned relatively to said nose, means for yieldably shifting said shaft in one direction, a slide member for shifting the shaft in the opposite direction, a box motion arm, a connection between said box motion arm and said slide member for moving the slide member into engaged position with said shaft and thereafter immediately moving back to initial position without entraining said slide therewith, and means for drawing the slide back to disengaged position after the excessive shuttle-change pick.

6. In an automatic magazine loom, an axially shiftable picker shaft, a picker nose carried by said shaft, an actuating member cooperating with said nose, yieldable means for shifting said shaft in one direction, a slide for moving said shaft in the opposite direction, a rod slidably engaged with said slide and having an abutment member adjustably mounted thereon for engaging said slide to move said slide to the engaged position and to permit the rod to be moved back to initial position without effecting disengagement of said slide, a movable shuttle-change member, connections between said shuttlechange member and said rod for effecting back and forth movement of said rod, and means for moving said slide to disengaged position timed to follow after the pick occurring after shuttlechange.

7. In an automatic magazine loom, an actuating member for the picker motion, a picker nose cooperating with said actuating member, an axially shiftable picker shaft carrying said nose, a slide for moving said picker shaft in one direction, yieldable means for restoring said shaft in the other direction, a pull rod slidably connected with said slide, an adjustable abutment member on said rod for engaging said slide, a bell crank lever having one arm connected to said rod and another arm having a socket, a movable finger having a ball disengageably fitted in said socket, a rock shaft carrying'said finger and mounted on the loom, a movable shuttlechange member operatively connected to rock said rock shaft, and means for drawing the slide back to disengaged initial position.

8. In an automatic magazine loom, an adjustable picker motion, means for adjusting said picker motion to increase the pick at shuttlechange, said means comprising a slidable member, and means for restoring the slidable member to initial disengaged position comprising an operating member driven continuously by said loom, connections between said operating member and said slide, and a lost motion element in said connections moved by the slide into tight connection when the slide is engaged.

9. In an automatic magazine loom, an adjustable picker motion, means for adjusting said picker motion to give an excessive pick on shuttle-change comprising a slide, a movable shuttle-change member, and connections between said member and said slide for moving the slide into engaged position, and means for moving said slide back to disengaged position comprising. a rod, a bell crank lever having one arm adjustably connected to said rod, an operatmg rod connected to the other arm of said bell crank, a lever adjustably fulcrumed on the loom frame, a bottom shaft for the loom, a cam fixed to said bottom shaft and engaging said lever, said lever having an opening through which said operating rod extends, and a set collar on said adjusting rod forming a lost motion connection and normally standing away from said lever but moved by the slide into engagement with the lever when the slide is shifted to engaged position.

10. In a-n automatic magazine loom, an actuating cam for the picker motion, a picker nose shiftable with respect tosaid cam having a wedge face, a slide having a cooperating wedge face adapted to shift said nose toward its cam when the slide is moved to engaged position, yieldable means for urging the nose against the slide, a movable shuttle-change member, connections between said shuttle-change member and the slide for advancing. the slide to engaged position, and automatic means driven by the loom for drawing the slide back to the initial disengaged position.

11. The combination with an automatic maga zine loom having a shuttle changing mechanism and a picking cam, of an adjustable picker nose adapted to engage said cam to produce a. normal picking action, and means operated by said shuttle changing mechanism to adjust the rel ative positions of said picker nose and cam to produce an abnormal picking. action on the pick immedately following the change of shuttles.

12. The combination with the picking means of an automatic replenishing loom and an adjustable picker nose, of automatic replenishing mechanism, connections between said replenishing mechanism and said picker nose for bringing said picker nose into appropriate relation with the picking means on operation of the replenishing mechanism to efiect an increase in the picking action on the first pick after replenishment.

13. The combination with an actuating member of a picker motion of an automatic replenishing loom and a control member adjustable towards and from the actuating member to regulate the amount of pick, of automatic rep1en-' ishing mechanism, connections between said au- 7 tomatic replenishing mechanism and said control member, said automatic replenishing mechanism shifting said control member with respect to said actuating member on operation of the automatic replenishing mechanism to effect an increase in the picking action on the first pick following replenishment.

14. In an automatic replenishing loom, the combination of an automatic replenishing mechanism, a picker motion comprising an actuating member and a picker nose, means operating said picker motion to produce a normal picking action, and means operated by said replenishing mechanism after the first pick only following replenishment to vary the relative position of said actuating member and picker nose, the

whole operating for the purpose of increasing the picking action of the first pick only following replenishment.

LOUIS C. MUSCATELLI. 

